Home, hobby & lifestyle retail
Books and taxes for baby boutiques.
A baby registry with a completion discount at the end, a monogrammed blanket that cannot be returned, a gently used stroller taken on consignment, and a car seat pulled for a safety recall. Your own bookkeeper keeps it straight, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
May came in at $7,600. Three baby showers closed out registries with the completion discount applied, so I booked those sales net of the discount, not full price.
- Register batch, boutique counterIn-store sales
- Baby registry closeout, TanakaRegistry sales
- Monogramming embroiderer invoicePersonalization costs
- Consignment payout, used strollerResale payouts
- Aden + Anais wholesale invoiceWholesale inventory
Why your books are different
A baby boutique's books go wrong the same handful of ways.
A generalist bookkeeper sees a register total and a supplier bill. Your shop applies a completion discount when a registry wraps up, offers monogramming that cannot simply be returned like a plain item, resells gently used baby gear on consignment, and sometimes has to pull a recalled product off the shelf entirely. When the books miss that, your real numbers stay a guess.
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1
Registry completion discounts get missed or misapplied
Many baby registries offer a discount on whatever is left unpurchased once the shower has passed, and if that discount is not tracked against the registry itself, the final sale can look like a random markdown instead of a normal part of the program.
What we doBooks registry completion sales net of the discount and tags them to the registry, so the program's real cost stays visible. -
2
Monogrammed items carry a cost that is not really returnable
A blanket or outfit sent out for embroidery has a personalization cost added before it ever sells, and because it usually cannot be returned once monogrammed, that cost needs to be tracked differently than plain inventory.
What we doKeeps personalization costs in their own line, matched to the item they are tied to, so true margin on monogrammed goods is visible. -
3
Consignment resale gets counted as a straight sale
A gently used stroller or crib sold on consignment brings in a payout to the original owner, and booked as a normal sale, your revenue looks bigger than it is while the payout looks like an unrelated cost.
What we doSplits the consignor's cut out as a payout the day it happens, so your real revenue and their payout both stay clean. -
4
A safety recall pulls inventory with no warning
A car seat, crib, or stroller can be recalled with little notice, and pulling it from the shelf and issuing refunds is a real cost that does not fit the usual pattern of markdowns or shrinkage.
What we doTracks recall-related refunds and pulled inventory separately so a recall does not get confused with ordinary returns.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a baby boutique.
Set up once for how you sell, personalize, and resell. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- In-store salesNew baby gear and clothing at full price.
- Registry salesPurchases against a registry, including completion discounts.
- Personalization salesMonogrammed and custom items, tracked with their added cost.
- Consignment salesThe full sale price on used gear, before the consignor's split.
Money out
- Wholesale inventoryNew gear and clothing from suppliers like Aden + Anais and regional distributors.
- Personalization costsEmbroidery and monogramming fees tied to specific items.
- Resale payoutsWhat consignors are owed for used gear sold, kept apart from your own margin.
- Store rent and utilitiesThe lease, power, and water for the shop.
- Card processing feesWhat your card processor keeps on every sale.
What we watch for you
- Registry completion cost
How much the completion discount is really costing you across finished registries.
- Consignment share
How much of your sales are really the consignors', before taking on more used inventory.
- Recall exposure
What you have refunded or pulled for safety recalls, tracked apart from ordinary returns.
- The set-aside
What you will owe across registries, consignment, and retail sales, tracked every month.
Ask Gus
Things baby boutique owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
I book it net of the discount and tag it to that registry, so you can see the sale and the discount together instead of a random markdown.
Usually monogrammed items are final sale since they cannot be resold as new, but I keep the personalization cost tracked separately either way so your margin stays accurate.
I track recall refunds separately from ordinary returns, so it is clear this was a recall, not a normal pattern in your return rate.
The tax side
The tax side of running a baby boutique.
Most of what trips up a baby boutique is mixed categories and timing: a registry discount, a personalization cost, and consigned goods that are not really your own inventory.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Cost of goods soldWhat you paid for the new gear you actually sold this year reduces your taxable income, not what is still on the shelf.
- Consignment payoutsA consignor's share of a used item's sale price is a cost to the shop, not revenue, and the shop only owes tax on its own cut of the sale.
- Sales tax collectedSales tax on a sale belongs to the state the moment it is collected, whether it is a new item, a registry purchase, or a consigned sale.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operated baby boutiques can take up to 20 percent of qualified business income off their taxable income. It comes out right when registries, personalization, and consignment are tracked correctly all year.
Deductions baby boutiques miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Embroidery and monogramming fees
- Registry printing and cards
- Card processing fees
- Storefront signage
- Local advertising
- Business insurance
- Storage for consignment inventory
- POS software subscription
- Gift wrap and packaging
- Trade show travel
- Cleaning and maintenance
- Shipping and postage
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A baby boutique's year, kept every month.
Baby showers happen year round, but spring carries an extra load, and the books stay open every month regardless. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled, right after the holiday shopping season eases.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since registries were still closing out in January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether spring baby shower season changed the picture.
- October
Before the holiday rush
New inventory and any equipment worth buying before the year's biggest gift-buying months arrive.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for baby boutiques. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions baby boutique owners ask first.
Can Gus track a baby registry's completion discount correctly?
Yes. He books the completion sale net of the discount and tags it to that registry, so the discount shows up as a normal part of the program rather than a stray markdown.
How do monogrammed or personalized items get tracked differently?
Gus keeps personalization costs in their own line, matched to the specific item, since these items usually cannot be returned like plain inventory once customized.
I resell gently used strollers and cribs on consignment. Does that complicate the books?
No. Gus splits each sale into your revenue and the consignor's payout as it happens, so your numbers stay honest and their payout is ready when they ask.
A product I carry just got recalled. How does that get handled in the books?
Gus tracks recall-related refunds and pulled inventory separately from ordinary returns, so a recall reads as what it is instead of muddying your regular return rate.
My books are behind after a busy shower season. Can you catch up?
Send what you have. Gus sorts through registry sales, personalization, and consignment, and most owners know where they stand within a week.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever